Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail)
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517. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will increase the capitation and ancillary grant in 2015 to 2016 to cover the increase in the minimum wage for cleaners, secretaries and caretakers in schools which comes into effect on 1 January 2016; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44733/15]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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The majority of primary and voluntary secondary schools in the Free Education Scheme receive grant assistance to provide for secretarial and/or caretaking services. Within the grant schemes, it is a matter for each individual school to decide how best to apply the grant funding to suit its particular needs and the Department does not stipulate how these services are to be obtained. Where a school uses the grant funding to employ a secretary or caretaker, such staff are employees of individual schools. My Department therefore does not have any role in determining the pay and conditions under which they are engaged. These are matters to be agreed between the staff concerned and the school authorities.

Notwithstanding the above, my Department recently engaged in an arbitration process regarding the pay of School Secretaries and Caretakers who are employed using grant funding. The Arbitrator recommended increases in the hourly rates paid to School Secretaries and Caretakers and the establishment of a minimum hourly pay rate.

The Arbitrator's recommendations have now been accepted by both sides. My Department will shortly issue a Circular to schools giving effect to the measures to apply from 1 January 2016 i.e. an increase of 2.5% in the hourly pay rate and the introduction of a minimum hourly rate of €10.25.

In addition to this, other staff who are employed in schools through grant funding but who are not comprehended by the Arbitrator's recommendation will benefit from the pay increases introduced under the FEMPI Act 2015 and also, where applicable, by the recently announced increase in the National Minimum Wage which also take effect from 1 January 2016. The Circular will provide guidance to school management authorities in relation to the implementation of these measures at local school level.